Global API Limit Removed

 

App developers, rejoice! The bonds binding your applications have been broken (somewhat)!

I'm pleased to announce that we've removed the global limit on API calls for applications. Previously, this is what our limits looked like:

• 300 calls per store per 10 minutes
  
• 3000 calls globally per 10 minutes
  

You can probably see the problem: As soon as an app has more than ten installs, they're effectively limited by the global limit rather than the per store limit. As an app grows this global limit becomes increasingly tight and there's only so much efficient usage can do to mitigate that. Shopify is supposed to be all about fostering growth, so we've decided to ditch the global limits. Here's what the restrictions look like now:

• 300 calls per store per 10 minutes

That's it. No more global limit. Apps are now free to grow their install base without having to worry about hitting a barrier. Hurrah!

Implementation Details

There are two stages to the rollout of this change. The first has already taken place: The HTTP_X_SHOPIFY_API_CALL_LIMIT header will now always return 0/3000 regardless of the number of calls you make.

The followup change, which we're rolling out shortly, will be to remove this header all together. If your app relies on it being there,  you need to update your code. This is being done primarily to avoid confusion amongst new users of the API but also to keep the API clean and free of junk code.

Keep an eye on the API Announcements mailing list for info about this and future changes. Good hunting!